Here lies the horror
by Kdibs227
Summary: Things lie in the darkness. Most know this, and fewer have experienced it. For the Titans, however, it isn't the issue of experiencing the darkness...it's surviving it. After all, aren't our worst fears created out of the shadows?
1. Prologue

Author's Note: I've decided to try out another chapter story. This one is going to be long, and it might take a little while to get all the pieces together. However, if you like horror, this might be a good thing for you. So, enjoy, and if you wish, leave a review :)

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The void was endless. That's all she could think about as she walked around the small enclosure with her guests spread out in front of her. Granted, they weren't awake yet, it would be harder for her to control them, but there would be a time for them to see the void as she did. Perhaps, it one of them showed a connection to it like she did, it might keep them. It had been a long time since she had any company. The tanks were doing their job, keeping the group sedated until it was ready to awake them.

Usually, she only got sent one or two people from the other world; when she awoke to find five people awaiting the magic, she had been elated. This had to be a sign, one of them must be destined to stay with her. She just had to figure it out. The void grew so lonely without any company, and the buildup of the magic tended to make the trials more and more bizarre at points. But, that wasn't her concern. The humans would experience the trials and make their own conclusions of it. She walked closer to inspect them better.

The first human in the tank was a girl. She was tall, and the long strands of hair, a color she couldn't remember, were suspended in the liquid. She was pretty, and once, long ago, she would have considered herself pretty too. But, it had been years since she saw herself; there were no reflections here. The girl looked strong, which would come in handy when it was time to start. But, the trials required different things, and there must be more hidden that she couldn't find. The girl didn't look like the ones that came way before her either.

Moving along, there was another girl. This one was completely different from the first one. Her hair was short, and a darker color. Again, the word for it failed her. You lost so much in the void. There was an odd stone in her forehead. Was it meant for anything? Did it hurt? She had so many questions, but she hardly got to answer all of them when new people came in. The trials always took so much time, and it was unpredictable if they would be awake after they came back. She liked hearing other voices besides her own.

There were three boys on the other side. The first was a normal looking one. There was fabric on his face and she couldn't help but admire the lithe body. Perhaps a slender frame would serve him well; she had no idea what types of levels the void would create this time around. He didn't have anything unnatural on him, but she wondered what he sounded like. Did he have an accent? Speak in a different language? She once had someone that only spoke in Spanish once. He didn't last long; the void took him quickly without giving her warning.

The second boy was huge. Large metal parts took up over half his body and it was clear that the fluid within the tank was having trouble with the weight. That was odd, since she hadn't encountered someone like this in many, many years. The last one she had seen was what she remembered as a knight. Was he a knight as well? His skin was darker than the rest, but she wondered what color his other eye was. The metal looked sleek, too, and she longer to feel the texture. Anything new was exciting to her in the void.

The last boy was the oddest of the group. The skin color was off, and she was certain the ears were wrong too. But, in a way, she liked it. There were so many normal looking people that came through, when the void felt like it needed more energy, so it was rare that she got to see people that didn't look human. Were any of these human? Deciding that she had seen enough for now, she wandering back towards the little cylinder in the front of the large, large room. An odd light emitted from it without any explanation.

The void was a hard thing to explain. Sometimes it spoke aloud to her, other times it was all in her head. She didn't know how it did it; that was another thing, the void wasn't male or female. If it was, she was never told. Once, a long time ago when she was fresh and new to the void, it told her that it had been human. But it didn't give any more information about that, even when she asked. By now she had grown used to the silences and those odd times that the void talked to her.

At first, the silence used to bug her. Now, the sounds of anything other than the silence scared her. Everything was louder when all you had in terms of sound were the echoes of footsteps and occasional sneezes and coughs. She talked aloud at points, to remember what her own voice sounded like. The void didn't have any tone when it spoke. She wished it did; it would make things more interesting, but the void didn't like taking orders from others, even if it was just from her. The cylinder was humming when she finally reached it. The light pulsed.

She didn't reach out and touch it, even if the light casted pretty shadows on her fingers. There was an undercurrent of energy on the outside of the cylinder and she still had burns on her hands from the first, and only, time she tried to touch it. She waited a few moments for something to happen, and when nothing did, she wasn't disappointed. The void was in charge, not her, so she got used to things being done on its own schedule. She sat down on the ground, wincing from the cold, and settled in to wait it out.

 _They look different, don't they? I thought we could do with a bit of a change here. The last ones were so normal looking, and then I found these._

"Where did you find them?" She didn't bother asking why the void was talking now. She wouldn't get an answer. The only information she got was what the void wanted her to know, no more no less.

 _There was a light strand of magic. I followed it, and then I observed them. I'm glad I did so, I have a strong feeling that we won't be disappointed in these this time._

"The last group didn't do that bad. They got several of the objectives before giving up." That group had been small, but one of the people, a girl, had been clever enough to last the longest. But, in the end, she failed as some many had done years before her.

 _I want something entertaining. Something that will leave me wanting a challenge. I think I can find that in them. But, I will need your help. I want to know what they are like. For that, you will need to talk to them. When it's time, I will awake them._

"Wake them up? I can meet them, and talk to them?" There was no time to hide the excitement in her voice. It had been such a long time since she had talked to anyone but the void, and while those conversations were always interesting, she longed for human contact. Someone she could see and touch and know was interacting with her. "When will you do it? Soon?" She realized the mistake after she had said it; the void didn't do well with taking demands.

 _I will wake them up when I see fit. Things are not quite ready yet._

The tone was like steel, unyielding, and she felt herself shrinking in a bit at it. The void was always going back between being calm and aloof, and hard and angry. There was no pattern, and every statement or question she asked had a 50/50 chance of being the wrong thing to say.

 _Have no worries, though, little bird. You will get all the time you need to talk with them. I am planning on only sending one at a time, to gauge how well they react to me. I wouldn't want them to have too much of an advantage._

"What kinds of advantages? Like them all working together? You've let that happen before." There was never a time when the void only selected one person to go to the trials. It always selected pairs or trios; it was also noted that there was always one person missing from those trials.

 _Each of them has…abilities. Their appearances aren't the only things odd about them. Do not ask me to explain. You will see for yourself when I start the trials._

"I knew they were hiding something! No one has ever come in looking like that before!" She was so thrilled.

 _True, but then again, none of them have had such a strong pull on magic. I'm not sure which one created it, or even if they knew they were doing it, but it doesn't make any difference. I found them, and now, I shall have my fill of entertainment. You shall as well._

There was nothing in the void when the trials weren't going on. So, when it was time, she took full advantage of watching and getting involved. Even if it made her feel extremely guilty later on. It was easier to deal with the guilt when she was alone.

Then again, the void never pressured her to take part in all of this. It had stated, back when she first arrived here, that she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to. At first, she hadn't agreed to anything the void had asked of her. Then, as time went on and she finally realized that she wasn't getting out of her anytime soon, she started taking a more active role. After that, saying yes to things asked of her got easier and easier until she barely had to think about it. It was a scary habit to develop.

"Will I have a chance to make a trial? Even a small one?" The whole process of getting a trial made was a mystery to her, like most things here, but this was one question she always asked even if the answer was always no. There was a long pause, and she was waiting for the scolding she usually got when she asked too much.

 _Perhaps. Most of them are already made, but I may need your assistance on some of the minor details. Obviously, I can't have you working on anything serious, but there is an opportunity here._

The void didn't elaborate on what that opportunity was, just that it was there, and when the void was ready she would know what it was. The void operated as it saw fit and nothing was revealed until it was necessary. She got up to her feet and walked back over to the tanks. All of them were floating still, perfectly unaware of what was awaiting them in the void. Or the trials. There was bound to be some new surprises this time around. The void didn't like reusing old things, which he had to do a few times before.

 _I must leave now, little bird. Now, keep an eye on the tanks. They shouldn't show signs of waking up just yet, but with their abilities, I can't be sure that the usual mixture will keep them down long enough. If it doesn't, and you see one of them move, alert me._

The void gave no advice on how to alert it, but she didn't think too hard about that. If it happened, she'd deal with it then. Besides, now she could think about other things instead of worrying whether or not her questions had been the wrong ones asked.

Inside, no one showed signs of waking up. She felt a little annoyed at that, since that would be something to see. Hardly anyone woke up inside of the tanks, only outside, and that was only for a few moments until they were transported to the trials. She sat back down in the middle, where she could see everyone, and started taking a mental catalogue for each person. The metal man was the biggest of the lot, but his metal might not be the right thing here. The green one was the tiniest, with the two girls and the other boy falling in the middle.

"I wonder what you sound like. Do you have accents? Maybe, the void likes to pick people who live far away. Then again, I don't know how far that is. I don't know where we are now, so it could be a few miles or a few thousand. I don't know. Are people looking for you? It seems likely. Everyone has someone that would miss them. I had someone too, but I can't remember. Being here for a long time makes you forget those kinds of things. The void calls it useless information to have."

There was a lot of useless information in her head, according to the void. Her name was the first to go, since it only called her girl or little bird, and it didn't have a name either. Then her memories started to fade, followed by everything else. She became what the void wanted, and now, in times of boredom, she often wondered if she could ever find those parts of herself again. It didn't seem feasible. The void was a perfectionist and wouldn't have left her with any loose strings that could trigger memories for her to fall back on.

"I don't think the void will take your memories. Though, if it likes you well enough, it might keep you here. I'm not sure how it works exactly. That was another bit that I lost. The void said, since I'm already here, why do I need the knowledge of how it happened. I do get curious though, but it sets me straight again. Perhaps you'd like to share your memories with me! That would be fun. And, since they aren't my own, I would get to keep them. I've done it before with other people that have come through here."

None of them reacted to her voice. She amused herself by watching them all float in the liquid, commenting on how pretty the girl's hair was, and wondering if the metal man would eventually sink to the bottom of the tank due to being so heavy. The void didn't speak, even after she call out, so she assumed it was off doing something. She wondered how the void got anything done. It didn't have a body, as far as she knew, and she heard it speak of how it got stuff done. Maybe it had other helpers to assist it.

"I bet you're dreaming right now. What are you dreaming of? I bet it's something wonderful. I don't dream anymore. That's because I don't sleep. The void says sleeping is for those who are human and weak. I am not a human anymore, according to the void. I haven't been for a long time. Sometimes, when I get bored, I shut my eyes and pretend that I can dream. It's not as fun as doing it for real, but it's as close as I can get. Maybe you can give me more ideas of things to dream of later on."

Thinking about dreams had her sad all of a sudden. She couldn't sleep, that was true, but the void believed in healthy doses of terror was a good way to show respect for their superiors. Thus, whenever the void decided, she would have panic attacks with horrible, unspeakable terrors filtering across her eyes. She was never sure how long these lasted. It could have been a few seconds, maybe a few days, who knew? She wondered if any of these people had a watch and if they would be willing to give it to her. She's be grateful for it.

"I know what I can do. I'll tell you a story. Everyone likes stories, right? Well, this one is about a little bird. The little bird got lost one day and was found by a fox. The fox told her that he knew the way home. So, the little bird followed the fox down into a dark cave. This wasn't where the little bird lived, but it was too late to escape. The fox blocked all the exits off and kept the little bird for himself. Now, the little bird tried to escape, but she couldn't. So, she remained there."

It wasn't a nice story, but it the same one she always told herself. The void resembled a fox, being all sly and crafting. Maybe it did kidnap her, or maybe she came here on her own. She didn't remember and she wished she did. Perhaps these people, when they woke up, could help her find out. The void said one of them had magic, if she asked nicely and explained why she needed the help, the magic caster might see her plight and assist her. It could be all for nothing; the void said that her memories were lost.

"That wasn't a nice story, was it? I'm sorry. I don't have a lot of happy ones. The void says that happy stories don't have a good message and that it's pointless to make life seem happy all the time. Do you have any better stories? I bet you have a bunch. We could share when you wake up. There's lot of time between each trial, especially since the void is only going to take each of you one by one. So we can get to know each other really well. It'll be fun, I think. Don't worry about it."

 _What have you been doing, little bird? Telling stories again? I hope that you haven't been trying to fill their heads with rubbish. I need them to have their brains with them._

"I haven't been telling them rubbish stories! I just like talking to them. Why can't they wake up now, it's so boring here."

 _Are you telling me what to do, girl? I hardly think you are in a position to be demanding things or giving orders. Those are meant for people who are capable of such things. You aren't able to handle the pressures of making hard decisions._

"N-no, not at all! I was just thinking that we could gain more insight to them if they were awake. Wouldn't that an easier option?"

 _I do not do easy, child. This is a critical period. The trials are almost finished, and I will not bring them back to consciousness until the right moment. If you find a fault with my reasoning, then I would advise you to remain quiet about it._

Feeling ashamed and belittled, she hung her head. Tears built, but she didn't dare let any of them fall. Weakness wasn't allowed in the void. It was punishable.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say you were wrong. I… I just get lonely sometimes. I thought it might be better to have someone to talk to."

 _Am I not enough for you? These people are not meant to stay long. Perhaps, one might, but that is not your concern. There is a strict process for taking residence in the void. Being lonely is weak, little bird. You would do best to rid yourself of it. Humans are meant to be alone._

"I wasn't alone once. I had people who cared for me. They could care for me, too."

 _These people have no reason to care for you. They have not looked after you as I have. They have not brought you here for your own safety as I have. If I haven't found you, you would be living in chaos, in a world with no morals. They have no morals. Don't associate these people with the word caring. You watch, the moment they know you work for me, they will leave you. It always happens, little bird, do you forget that? They might act like it, but it is only to save themselves that they pretend around you._

"That's a lie." Even as she said it, doubt was already invading her head. Everyone always acted concerned for her, thinking that she was a pawn just like them in the trials. Well, she was, but not like they were. She had never, and would never, see the inside of a trial. When they finally learned that she worked for the void, well, that ended things quickly. Many got angry at her, a few were curious as to why she helped it, but most were scared of her. Like she was the one who controlled things in this horror pit.

 _Isn't it though? You're thinking about how right I am this moment. I can see into your head. I know every thought that has appeared there. No use lying to me or yourself. Lying is pointless. In here, there is only the truth. And the truth is that none of these people will ever care for you. You are not human, little bird. They are. Thus, they are blind. Let the trials bring forth their true intentions and motivations. If they care, then that is where it will show. Now, go off into the shadows. It is almost time, child._

"Can't I just stay here? Why do I have to go into the dark?" Even after being here for so long, those dark corners on the void had frightened her, and she stayed in the soft rays of light coming from the tanks and the cylinder. She had never been asked to stay out of sight in a long time, not since the beginning of her time here. "Please, I'll be quiet, and I won't mess anything up. I just want to stay where I can see, please, I don't like the dark, it's scary, please, and I'll be good!"

 _You will do as you are told or I shall do it for you. I will not ask you a second time. Now, be quiet. I don't want any of them to be alerted to your presence._

Shaking, she walked over to the darkness, finding a spot near the cylinder where the light, unfortunately, didn't touch and slid down the wall until she was curled up. She hated the dark; anything she couldn't see was terrifying to her. Clamping her teeth together, and placing both hands over her mouth, she waited, anxiously, for something to happen. Slowly, they woke up.


	2. Chapter 1: Beast Boy

Author's note: I'm really enjoying writing this story. So, I figured each chapter would be told from a different titan, with some surprises in between. So, read and review!

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The first thing that alerted him to the current situation was that he was wet. Spending a good chunk of his time in the water had gotten him used to the feeling, but last he checked, Beast Boy was nowhere near the water and had been sleeping in his bed. The area around him was blurry so to the water, but it wasn't water; it didn't irritate his eyes like it usually did. And he was willing to be being in a tank wasn't normal either. He could make out another one, but he couldn't tell what was in it.

He tried to swim up to get air, but there was nowhere to go; his head smacked against the top and he had to fight down the panic. There had been plenty of times where he had had to hold his breath for long periods, but he wasn't sure how long this would last. After all, air was pretty important.

 _Remain calm. The tanks will be draining and no permanent damage will be done to you. I would advise not fighting against the glass. You wouldn't want to start the trials with any injuries. They won't heal in time, unfortunately._

As the water cleared, he could see, with a great deal of discomfort, that each of his friends were in the same boat as him. Each of them, with the exception of Cyborg, were soaked. And, he noted with a frown, incapable of using their powers. He, Starfire, and Raven all had matching metal bands on their wrists.

 _Thank you for following instructions. I would explain the situation to you, but that will be discussed to you individually when you enter the trials. Now, I've decided that I want you all to go into this first phase on your own._

God, what had they gotten into? This seemed eerily familiar to passed situations with Control Freak, but on a slightly sinister level. At least no one got hurt back then. Robin, he could see, was taking note out of all of them and shook his head and motioned for them to stay put. They didn't want to run into this without knowing what they were dealing with.

 _Now, the trials are very big. I've even included some references from your world, how kind of me. You can thank me later. Now, all of you will be transported in at once._

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Cyborg was coughing from all the water, and there was no time to answer, as all of them were falling. It felt like falling to him and there was a gut wrenching feeling of being tugged somewhere. It couldn't have lasted any longer than a few seconds. Beast Boy hit the ground with a hard thump and it took him a bit to get his bearings together. When he finally did, he didn't like them. There was no sound here. No wind, no birds, nothing. And when you're used to constant sound, that's terrifying.

His knees were bleeding from crashing onto the concrete, and since he didn't have anything to fix it, the blood began to stain his uniform. He wanted to go off and find his friends, until he remembered that if his friends were he, he'd have heard them. There were several buildings around him, all of which looked abandoned, so he just picked one at random and started walking towards it. Maybe he could find something that would help him. The front door wasn't opening, and none of the bottom windows budged. He still couldn't shift, awesome, so he started searching.

"I knew that the streak was too good to last. But, no, don't listen to me. God, why the hell do we keep getting sucked into places?" Beast Boy continued his muttering as he looked for something to break into the house with. It created enough sound to keep him from going nuts. When he got out of this he was going to blast his music until he got sick of it. Even Star's singing would be better than this. He found a decent sized rock that he could hurl into the window a few feet away and grabbed it.

He figured that he could smash one of the lower windows and get in that way. Lobbing the rock at the glass, the window shattered, and he carefully swept away the glass and broke off the remaining pieces with another rock. He slipped through the window and nearly groaned when he saw the inside. It was nearly pitch black in here, and dust covered every surface. Plus, it was freezing. He waited for his eyesight to adjust before he starting moving forward; knowing his luck, he'd put his foot through some hole in the floor and crash into the basement.

"I'm in the middle of a horror movie. Super, which means I'm either two seconds away from finding some helpful clue or running into the murderer. And the funny guy always dies first." Granted, he could fight well enough, but this place was seriously giving him the creeps. Each step made the floorboards groan, and it wasn't long before he was out of the front room and into the main room. There was a dying fire in the fireplace, and a lone piece of paper was on the table. There was also a lantern and some oil. "What the hell?"

When he finally made his way over to the table, he figured out how to work the lantern. The glow of light helped him see much better; night vision was great and all, but having actual light was much easier to deal with. The room looked awful. Paint was peeling from the walls, broken furniture was everywhere, save for a few large wardrobes. He grabbed the paper and started to read. _Welcome to the trials. This first phase will last for 8 hours. Your goal is to stay alive. Anything you find is yours to keep for the time being._

Stay alive? What the hell was this? Beast Boy left the lantern on the table as he explored the rest of the room. There wasn't any weapons, which was a long shot, but he wasn't too worried; Robin made sure that all of them knew how to engineer some sort of defense. The room didn't give him anything else, so he went back to the fire. Not a lot of heat was coming off it, which sucked since he was still soaked, and he decided it was time to investigate the rest of the house. He grabbed the rusty lantern.

"Alright, we can do this. No problem. If we run into anything, just beat the crap out of it. Simple. I've been in worse situations before, this is nothing." Still, he wasn't rushing to see what else was in here with him. He didn't encounter anything in the hall, and then he came to the stairs. Beast Boy listened to see if anything was up there, and wasn't surprised when nothing came up. "Please no freakish monsters. For once, no monsters." The stairs, which looked like they were about to give out, made such a loud racket the whole time.

By the time he got to the top, Beast Boy was pretty anxious. Thankfully there a bit more light here so he turned the lantern off to save it. It would probably take him ages to find more oil. Three doors were on this floor, all shut, so Beast Boy picked the one closest to him and opened it. There was a bed, a dresser, a bunch of dust. He pulled the drawers out, finding nothing, and he left. The next two rooms were the same. He was heading back downstairs when he heard a growl from outside the house.

Not knowing what he was going to be dealing with, Beast Boy got to the bottom of the stairs and pressed into the darker shadows. It sounded like the thing was outside, and while he wanted to get a look, he didn't risk leaving his cover. The thing must have been passing through, as it walked by the house he was in, and vanished. Beast Boy waited a bit longer before starting to move again, in case the thing decided to come back. That solved that little mystery he had; Beast Boy was defiantly not alone in this odd area.

"Ok, creepy monster thing, you don't bother me and I won't bother you, and we can both live happily ever after." The idea of going out and investigating the rest of the houses made him cringe, but there wasn't another choice. Taking the lantern with him, he slipped out of the window and continued on the dirt path. The next three houses didn't give up anything useful, so Beast Boy pressed on the path. By now it was almost pitch black outside, but he didn't waste his oil. Plus, it might alert that thing to where he was at currently.

He ended up going through a small forest, which made him very on edge, and soon a larger portion of the town came into view. The roads weren't dirt anymore, they were stone, and all of the streets were lined with streetlamps. Comforted with the fact that he could see a bit better, Beast Boy picked a direction and started to go forward. Some of the smaller houses didn't need to be broken into, and the really big one at the end of the lot had his interest. As he sorted through the houses, he didn't find many things there.

Finally, all he had left was either the dark cluster of woods on his left and the huge house. Judging from the way it was getting darker where the street lights couldn't reach, he was willing to bet it wouldn't be sunrise for a while. Might as well get a head start on the house. Maybe even find a way out of here. Or a way to get in touch with the others. He still didn't know how to do that; they really needed to find other ways to communicating when they got separated. This was becoming an annoying habit.

"Alright, creepy house on the hill, don't you pull any trips. I'm really not looking for a fist fight here." Beast Boy double checked the area before heading over. He wasn't sure if that creature had a circuit that it patrolled or not, or it was hoping to stumble upon someone, (i.e. HIM), and Beast Boy was armed with only his hands and a lantern. Not the best combo. Thankfully, he didn't have to break into the house. The front door was open, and every fiber of his being was telling him not to go in, but he still did.

It was pleasantly lit inside. There was a giant fireplace that was roaring, and Beast Boy wanted nothing more than to stay beside it for a few minutes to dry off. However, as soon as he walked through the door, the thing slammed back shut. Of course, it turned out to be locked again, from the outside. Groaning, Beast Boy stalked forward, taking note of everything, and keeping an ear out for anyone roaming around. He wasn't sure if he would run into another trapped person, but at this point, even an unfamiliar face would be a relief to see.

Whoever had designed the place must have been rich. There was intricate wood designs, elaborate chandeliers, and a hundred priceless items. Beast Boy stayed away from those. Knowing his luck, one of them would be set up as a trap, and he had no desire to see the basement of this place just yet. He wandered around on the first floor. There were sitting room, a giant library, and a dining room. He didn't see a kitchen, but each of the rooms had a fireplace, so by the time he reached the grand stairway, he was decently dry from earlier.

He didn't need the lantern as he walked upstairs. However, when he started entering the rooms, he just got more and more unnerved. All of the rooms were vacant and he could tell that no one had lived here in a long time. Worse, there were cages around every bed. He wasn't sure if it was designed to keep someone in or something out. He checked the drawers for anything of use, but all he found were a few unmarked vials. They looked odd, and when he held them up to the light they looked almost like they were glowing.

Beast Boy was currently investigating one of the bedside tables when something near the bed caught his eye. There was another jug of oil just next to the bed, and the door to the cage surrounding the bed was open. Making sure that the lantern was secure, Beast Boy went over to get it. However, when he went to bend down and get it, the door slammed shut. "Are you kidding me?" Beast Boy tried to jimmy the door open, but it was jammed. Just then, he heard the familiar roar of the thing he had heard just mere hours before.

He stood still instantly and hoped that it would just pass by the room, but it didn't. Hearing the footsteps coming towards the door, all he could do was hope that the lock would hold and then crawled under the bed. Thankfully, the sheets were long enough to cover him completely. However, Beast Boy would have to follow the creature by sound alone. The door burst open and he could hear several pieces of wood crash to the floor. The footsteps were uneven, and the thing was breathing heavily. It wandered off to the far side of the room.

It crashed around some of the drawers before stopping. For several long seconds, in which Beast Boy held his breath and didn't move a muscle, the creature just waited there. Then, as if nothing had happened, it staggered out of the room and down the hall again. Beast Boy wanted to move, but he waited until he could no longer here the footsteps. He would take ever advantage of not running into it face to face. Besides, he was tiny, and it would be hard to slip under a bed again to remain out of sight until it went away.

"I really hope this isn't going to be a constant thing. I don't feel like playing the worst game of hide and seek ever." Gathering the oil, it took a few well aimed kicked before the lock gave way and the door opened again. Refilling the lantern, and grabbing the glass tubes, Beast Boy made sure to check before edging out of the room. The creature must have been looking for something, as all of the other rooms had been trashed as well. He looked around for another staircase and didn't find one. Moving as quietly as possible, he left.

As he headed back down to the main floor, all he could think about was that his friends were in the same situation as him. No way to contact each other, if there was a way he just hadn't found it yet, and trapped here with a creature that probably wanted to kill him. Granted, he was used to things wanting him dead, and he was used to getting separated from his friends, even though it bugged the hell out of him. He went to the back of the house with the intention of trying to find out more information.

Just as he started walking towards one of the long hallways, he stopped. Spinning on his heel, Beast Boy started going back to the front of the house. He was looking for information, and what better place to check then in a library? Raven would be proud for sure; it'd only taken him this long to figure it out. The library was in good condition, and it was evident that the creature hadn't bothered to come to this room yet. That was good, because he didn't see any immediate places that he could hide if that situation happened again now.

"Alright, if I was a really good piece of information, where would I be?" Beast Boy had no clue where to begin. There were books stacked everywhere, and none of it seemed to be in any sort of order. Half of them were so old that the ink was gone and others were printed in languages he had never seen before. He'd gone through two stacks before coming across one in English, but it wasn't of any use. By the time he was ready to give up, the fire in the hearth was nearly out. Outside it was getting lighter.

Frustrated at the lack of progress, Beast Boy decided to explore the rest of the area now that he didn't have to stumble around in the dark. As he left, he noticed some houses off in the distance and a graveyard to the right of the house. He figured going to the graveyard when it was light outside was a safer option, so he started making his way there. Like before, he didn't run into anyone on his way over, and he kept wishing that he would. He wondered if his friends were just as unnerved as he currently was.

"Come on, there has to be some sort of instructions here. What the hell is this?" Beast Boy wanted to know what kind of situation he had gotten pulled into. He wanted to know if his friends were alright. He wanted to know who the hell was doing this. Was it a villain they had already encountered? Was it someone who wanted their own claim at besting the titans? The graveyard was creepy; each of the stones was either crocked, broken, or so faded he couldn't read the names. The ones he could, however, made him stop and think hard.

Dozens of names were here. Some were in English, others were of a different dialect, and the dates made no sense. Some were from the 1800's, others were from just last year. The most recent one was back in 2015, in September. The girl, Amelia, had been 12 years old. What kind of game was this? Was this some sort of serial killer ring? As he was looking up and down the roads, he found another slip of paper. _I see you've found the losers. They tried their best, but it wasn't enough. I wonder if you'll end up here._

The losers? Beast Boy looked around some more, before he had to leave. Being here any longer was giving him the creeps. He wasn't sure what this place was, but one thing was for sure: he didn't want to stay here another second. The names on the tombstones kept coming back to him. They didn't make sense. Was this some sort of trophy thing for this guy? A nice way to show off those poor people who had been targeted and killed? God, so many people must be missing a person here… and there was no way to find them.

"Alright, back to the houses, I guess. Maybe I can find some sort of secret room that makes all of this easier to understand." Beast Boy nearly ran from the graveyard and when he got back into the main house, he had no problem with going into the first room available and locking the door. The room was tiny, it only had a bookcase and a small bed, but that was fine with him. He needed to figure out what to do. His friends were nowhere, those shit clues hadn't helped him, and he had no idea who created this.

Stalling for time, Beast Boy checked the oil on the lantern, and then examined the little vials he had picked up earlier. They weren't glowing in the sun, but when he uncorked them, they didn't give off any smell. That wasn't reassuring; Beast Boy wouldn't put it past the person running this to try and poison one of them. God, what kind of situation were his friends in? He doubted they had found anyone; he couldn't detect anyone else here with him other than that thing. That was another problem. Beast Boy wasn't sure what to do about the creature.

Did he try and avoid it for as long as possible or try and get rid of it? Was there somewhere he could lure it and just contain it? Beast Boy wasn't sure, but it seemed as though the creature was looking for something. All at once he felt exhausted. God, he just wanted to go home. This whole charade of getting transported somewhere else was getting old and the worry for his friends was clouding his mind. Getting up, Beast Boy gathered everything and headed back to the library. There wasn't anything else for him to do but research.

However, when he got to the library door, he gasped. The room was trashed. Books were lying in heaps on the floor, torn to shreds, and the door was off its hinges. Whatever had done this must have immense strength, because the doors were three times the size of him and had been tossed aside like nothing. There was nothing to be salvaged in the mess. Even the ones on the shelves were ruined. Now he didn't have a clue on what to do. Did he even bother sifting through the clutter for a single book still in readable condition?

 _You really didn't think I would make it easy for you, did you? That's a nice idea, but I'm afraid that I enjoy challenges too much for that. Now, how about you go do something to amuse me. Aren't you lot supposed to be smarter than this? I had planned on adding a new member to my darkness. She'd be so disappointed not to have someone to look forward to… well, no matter. Either way, I know you'll do something to amuse me soon. Until then, perhaps you would enjoy some company. I hear that can get the mind working._

Beast Boy has no clue why there's a voice inside his head, and that's probably the scariest thing he's ever experienced, but there's no time to about it since he hears the familiar noise of that thing coming back. There is nowhere in the library to hide, so he takes his chances by sprinting out the door and down the hall. Judging by the sounds coming from behind him, the things knows that he's running. Beast Boy goes down one corner, and then another, before he's vaulting out an open window and sprinting out into the woods he saw before.


	3. Chapter 2 Cyborg

Author's Note: So, this was supposed to go up last night. And then the site crashed several times. So, here it is! Read, review, and enjoy!

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Cyborg has been in a lot of weird situations before. He's seen aliens, crazy television monsters, and even gone up against demons of hell. But this, this, is something that he had never thought of. The air is stifling; all the steam coming from the generators makes the room hot, and Cyborg is already drenched in sweat. He's gotta used to the thumping of the machines, but the steam and the noise make it difficult to map out the area around him. He's stuck to walking along to walls, knowing that he'll just go in one big circle each time.

He's worked it out that there are seven big generators in the room, and a set of stairs somewhere between the fourth and fifth generator. However, he can't get there because of all the hot steam, and Cyborg is trying not to get some serious burns at the moment. There isn't even enough room for him to crawl under. There are other sounds in the room as well, as if someone is following him. Once, just to test the theory out, he stopped walking, but no one came across him. This whole room gives off a creepy serial killer vibe.

He keeps going around and around in circles. There isn't any materials he can use to block the steam, and none of these generators seem to have switches on them. Which means that the control panel is somewhere else. Cyborg is beyond frustrated. Perhaps, no, he knows that he wouldn't been this annoyed if he had someone with him. Hell, he and Beast Boy probably would have been out of here by now. But his friend is missing, along with the others, and Cyborg is stuck in this room. Finally, after walking for what feels like hours, Cyborg sits down.

He's covered in sweat, his mouth is dry, and he has the biggest urge to scream. Cyborg has never been one for dramatics, but at this moment, he doesn't care. He needs a solution. The need to get out of this room is getting to an almost frantic level. There's only one option here, and he's not looking forward to it. Groaning, Cyborg gets back up and starts walking along the wall. He comes to the spot where the stairs are. He knows he needs to crawl, but he can cover his face from the steam; sadly, not his back.

Cyborg tries to rationalize it in his head. Crawling quickly might minimize the worst of it. There isn't a lot of skin on his back anyway, just his shoulders and arms, and those will be pressed flat to the ground. His face will be covered too. And, anything that does get damaged, he can fix. Besides, there aren't a lot of other options for leaving this room. Grunting, Cyborg sinks to his knees and begins. It feels like forever, and his body is confused, caught between feeling hot from the steam and cold from the stone ground. It's not pleasant.

He's gonna have plenty of stories to tell when this is all over. And this is so ending up on their top ten weirdest kidnappings ever. Who the hell would waste money on keeping them in some weird dungeon area? Well, keep him in a dungeon area; he wasn't sure where his friends where, but once he was free, that's the first thing he planned on doing. The rest of the group had to be close by. You couldn't contain meta-humans without keeping them close to one another. At least, Cyborg hoped their kidnappers thought of it like he did.

Crawling was a slow process. Cyborg was used to being able to do things quickly, but this took a lot of patience. The steam didn't feel good, and halfway in, Cyborg began to feel light headed. He tried to ignore it. The bottom of the steps was in sight, and after what felt like a lifetime, he finally reached them. He managed to pull himself off the floor without getting burned, and then spent a few moments resting on the steps. They, until the floor, were made of wood. An odd choice for this room, but he didn't linger long.

Thankfully, the door wasn't locked. There was only one hallway out, so Cyborg ended up walking slowly, trying to make his footsteps quiet, but it didn't work. Robin and Beast Boy always tried to give him pointers, but being a large metal man was always a disadvantage when you tried to be stealthy. He didn't meet anyone in the hall, and soon seemed to be in some sort of control room. The large panels flashed and beeped, but Cyborg didn't worry; he could handle this. Controls and electronic things were totally in his wheel house. This couldn't be that hard.

There didn't seem to be any instructions by the keys. No system for how the lights or buttons worked. Honesty, Cyborg spent the first few minutes just looking at the control panel. He didn't know what each lever and switch did. Maybe one was the correct one to turn off the steam, but he didn't know. At a loss, Cyborg spotted some filing cabinets towards the back and picked one drawer at random to search. All of the pages were blank. Frowning, Cyborg opened another and found the same thing. Each drawer was filled with blank sheets of filed paper.

That made no sense. Maybe it was invisible ink? Cyborg was fresh out of ideas. Deciding he would just have to do with Beast Boy did whenever he got frustrated (bang a lot of stuff around until something worked), Cyborg pulled up one of the rickety chairs and started pressing things. Half of the buttons didn't work. Some of the levers did; one controlled the lights and the other controlled the shades for the windows. Nothing useful was discovered. Finally, Cyborg knew he had to keep moving. The door to the room wasn't locked, and he poked his head out.

The hallway lights flickered on and off, making Cyborg feel as though he was in a horror movie. God, his life was so weird. None of the other titans had to deal with stuff like this. When this was over, Cyborg was protesting for a vacation. Somewhere far away with lots of sunshine and hot girls. Screw being the responsible hero; he wanted to kick back and relax. But, in order for that to happen, he need to get out of here and meet back up with his friends. So, he sucked it up and slowly left the control room.

Cyborg hadn't been this creeped out in a long time. Every step he took made the floor creak and the flickering lights weren't helping one bit. The end of the hall that he had picked was a dead end. The window was jammed shut, and he couldn't break it and slip outside since the fall would put him right in a body of water. Cyborg wasn't the best swimmer and the metal on his body didn't help him stay afloat. So, grumbling, he turned around the headed down in the other direction. This time he got to another wooden stairway.

There were no lights on this one. Cautiously, Cyborg crept down them. Each step made him wince and mental chance that nothing better break with him still on it. He had no clue what was under these stairs. By some miracle, he ended up on the bottom without damaging anything. He still couldn't see anything and he stupidly remembered that there was a small LED light that he could activate. The one on his shoulder turned on and Cyborg instantly recoiled. There was another hall, with pictures lining the walls, all of them stained with a dark, faded red color.

"That better not be blood," Cyborg muttered as he went forward. The pictures had the substance, not blood he prayed, on them and some of the canvases had been slashed through. Maybe something with claws or some sort of knife. He wasn't sure, and as much as he wanted to investigate, he knew he didn't want to risk sticking around and running into whoever had done this. Walking through this area felt like forever. He was beginning to worry that he would waste his battery and then he'd be screwed. By some strand of luck, he reached the hallway's end.

The door was stuck, so he ended up busting the thing open with his shoulder. He fell into another hallway, but this one was much better furnished and lit. Blazing torched lined the walls, and the carpet on the floor was a nice touch. Thankfully, there were no pictures for him to analyze over. It was a one directional hall, so he got up and started moving. The heat from the torches felt nice; though, Cyborg was just glad they were a far enough distance away from him. He still hadn't checked for any signs of damage to his metal.

There's a small bedroom off to the side. Cyborg peeks his head in, but there are no obvious signs that anyone has been here for a while. A fine layer of dust rests on the desk and shelves, and the bed, still made, doesn't show any signs of someone lying in it. Curious, Cyborg searches the desk, hoping maybe to find a way to contact someone or information on who might live here. But there isn't anything to find. There are some strange vials, but he ignores those for the time being. He's got no way to analyze them now.

Deciding to take a few moments to gather himself, he flops down onto the bed, wincing when his head makes contact with one of the bed posts. However, he hears something rattling inside and knows, with a smirk, that it's hollow. Living with his friends has made him an expert on when someone wants to hide something. A few well aimed kicks has the post on the floor and Cyborg bends down to retrieve a set of keys. That was reassuring, but he had no idea where any of those went. Maybe some would help down in the small control room.

Groaning with the knowledge that he had to walk back down that way again, Cyborg got up and went for the door. After seeing what was coming down the hall, he quickly shut it and searched for a lock, only to find none. Panicking slightly, he put all his weight against the door to keep it shut. There had been a pig in the hall. And it was walking on two legs carrying what looked like a bat full of nails. Now, he wasn't an animal expert, but he was willing to bet that normal pigs didn't act like this.

He could hear the thumping of the hooves coming down the hall, and he held his breath when they stopped right outside the door. The handle jiggled, but Cyborg didn't budge; after a few tense minutes, the pig moved on. Cyborg had no clue what to make of this. Were there more of these creatures here? Did he have to fight them or something? He wasn't sure if he would be able to fight them hand to hand; those bats didn't look fake, and Cyborg was keenly aware that he had no medical supplies on hand if things went south.

Well, if he did end up killing them, he wouldn't be telling B about it. After a while had passed, Cyborg peeked his head out and saw that the coast was clear. He really didn't want to go back to the control room, because if he ran into one of those pigs again there wouldn't be any choice but to engage them, but he needed to test out the theory with the keys. It could be his ticket out of here and he really needed to find his friends. What if they were in worse situations then his own?

Swallowing back his fear, Cyborg gripped the keys tighter in his hand and went back the way he came. By some chance of luck, he didn't run into any more pigs, though he could hear them in other far off areas. It made him wonder just how big this place was. Perhaps his friends were being held in the same area. Probably not, because no good kidnapper would put all of them in range of each other. He was still lost on the whole pig thing, too; was that the new craze of evil henchmen? God, his life was weird.

"I swear, if Rob tries to get us to write up reports on this, I'm putting my foot down. Like we even need that much paperwork in our lives. Not like anyone else does it. Raven might have, but Starfire doesn't get it, and there's no way me and B are going to sit through and waste our time." Talking to himself probably wasn't a good idea, but the idea of trekking back to the control room in silence was too much for him. He needed something to cut the tension. Any observer to this would probably think him insane.

The control room was empty when he got there. Almost instantly, he looked for a lock on the door, swearing when he didn't find one. He'd just have to keep an eye on it. Walking over to the system, he noted, with growing disappointment, that there didn't appear to be many key slots. After going over every inch of it, Cyborg kicked the other chair in frustration. He'd come all this way for a dead end. Once again, he took note of the hallway, and then headed back to the other room. Time for a change in area, he decided.

"Alright, let's see what's down here. Probably some sort of monster. If this ends up being another one of Control Freak's gigs, I'm gonna go off on the guy. I'm so not in the mood for something like that again." But as he walked, Cyborg began to think that Control Freak couldn't be behind something like this. Whenever there was some sort of obstacle, the weirdo would be there, watching them while making puns just as bad as Robin's. But he was nowhere in sight, and that voice that talked to them in the beginning hadn't spoken aloud since then.

When he got out of the hall, he entered a room full of mirrors. They were all different sizes, sort of like a funhouse but without any of the humor, and half of them seemed to be cracked or smudged with something dark. Cyborg hoped it wasn't blood, but like the ruined pictures, he wasn't going to stay around to check. Navigating through the mess of glass was a nightmare. He had to be careful; the broken glass hadn't been cleaned up, and he nearly cut himself a dozen times. He always managed to find the dead ends within the maze.

"Now I get why no one likes coming into these things after a couple of minutes." Cyborg muttered to himself. He stopped when he heard the sounds of someone else crunching on the broken glass. Then the noise of pig. Cyborg's heart dropped; he had nowhere to hide or run. He stood still, hoping that the pig would stay away from him, but no such luck. He could hear it getting closer to him. Cyborg frantically started scanning the area around him for options. He spotted a few mirrors that weren't nailed to the floor and rushed over there.

He quickly made a small little cave of mirrors, hiding in the middle, crouched low and quiet, hoping that this animal was dumb enough to keep moving along. Was there a way to distract a pig? Probably, and Beast Boy would have figured this out in a second, but he wasn't here and Cyborg was praying that this would work. The hooves came closer, and closer, and then stopped. Cyborg didn't move or breathe. The pig snorted and then walked past him. He stayed in his position until he couldn't hear it anymore. Had it actually worked? Cyborg wasn't sure.

Cyborg made sure his footsteps were quiet, well, quiet for him anyway, and moved towards what he thought might be an exit. There had to be an exit somewhere. Then again, he didn't get his hopes up; this place hadn't been making sense for the longest time. He carefully switched the keys and the small vials to his other hand. His palm would have been sweating, but the metal was cool to the touch. Every few steps, he stopped and listened for the pig, but he wasn't able to notice if he was there. Maybe it had run off again.

No such luck. Just as he was turning a corner, the pig was there. It had to be standing there for a while. And he was holding a crowbar. Cyborg knew this wasn't going to be good. He prayed his cannon still worked, or that the thing was just really slow when running. The pig snarled at him and started to come closer. Cyborg took two steps back and crunched over some broken glass. "Hey there, bud. We can solve this, right? No reason for you to use that thing." A loud shriek came out of his mouth. Well then.

The pig charged him, mouth wide open, and Cyborg wasn't sure how much damage those teeth could do. Normal pigs didn't have fangs in their mouths, right? Cyborg moved out of the way, gripping the animal and chucking him into one of the mounted mirrors. Glass rained down everywhere, and there was blood, but the pig got back up. Several of the shards were imbedded in its shoulder and stomach; blood oozed out slowly, and created a puddle on the floor. Cyborg was panting, running on adrenalin, and reached out to grab one of the bigger shards. The pig charged.

Cyborg didn't think twice. He dropped the keys and vials, grasped the shard, and plunged it into the pig's neck. It screamed, and then dropped to its knees, blood spewing out. A good portion of it got over him, and soon the floor was covered. Panting, and trembling slightly at what he had done, Cyborg waited to see if it would get it. It didn't. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the pig breathed its final breath and was still. Cyborg felt sick. The metallic smell of the blood was overwhelming, and he rushed to pick up his sticky things.

The keys were covered in it; the red on his silver and blue metal made for a horrifying look. The vials were shattered. There had been no time to set them down gently. It didn't matter. Cyborg wasn't even sure what they did. Maybe there would be others he could find and then test them out. The body of the pig made him want to vomit, but Cyborg quickly turned tail and left. Ironically, when he turned left at the spot where he ran into the pig, there was the exit. At least he knew no one would come soon.

The next part of the building was decorated nicely. A few fireplaces lined the walls, with chairs that looked wonderful to sit in, but all Cyborg wanted was somewhere to wash up. The blood was sticking to him and it was grossing him out. He didn't find a bathroom, just a small kitchen, but it had a sink which is all he wanted. Placing the keys down, Cyborg grabbed one of the towels and started to clean up. Droplets of red went into the drain, turning it a murky color. It took a long time to clean off the blood.

Finally, after he felt clean enough, Cyborg rinsed off the keys and tried to hunt around for something to eat or drink. Not that he wanted anything now, but he would need something later on. Perhaps he could even find a bag to carry everything in. He got luck with the bag, it was a simple leather one, and there was a little bit of food. A small thermos served as his water container. Satisfied with his loot, Cyborg took off again, this time much slower, back off into the house. The fireplaces looked even more inviting now than before.

There was no reason why he couldn't sit down for a few moments. Selecting a chair, Cyborg dumped his things and leaned back into the seat. The fire crackled merrily, unaware of the horrors of this place, and Cyborg stared longingly into the flames. Were his friends warm enough? What if they were still being held in that tank thing? Or worse? Cyborg didn't let his thoughts go there. His friends were tough, and smart, so they could figure this out. Hell, he was willing to bet Raven and Robin at least figured it out. They always figured it out.

His eyes felt so heavy all of a sudden. Shaking his head, Cyborg knew he had to get moving again. It was a dumb move to fall asleep in such an open and strange place. Who knew when the next creep would come along? Grunting, he got to his feet and shouldered his bag again. He wondered how late it was. Maybe there was a clock somewhere, the place was big enough, and if they could have engineered pigs they could have a clock. The only other door he could find led outside. It was pitch black out, with only the small light emitting from the lamps to help him figure out what was outside.

The pathways were cobblestone. A few buildings lined the sides, but they were dark as well, and he really didn't fancy going in there while it was still night. He could look for a safer place to hole up in until it got lighter out, but there weren't a lot of options. None of these doors seemed to have locks. Maybe he could sleep with his back to the door or something. Sighing, he closed the door and went back inside. Exploring the area could wait a few hours.

He evaluated the kitchen and deemed it safe enough. The windows were high enough that nothing could get in and there was only one door in the whole room. Cyborg was able to move one of the heavier shelves against the door and then he sat down against the wall. The few lone candles in the room were getting low, and soon it would be too dark to see anything. He quickly looked around and found a few more candles. Lighting one, and saving the rest for later, Cyborg settled in. It was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 3: Raven

Author's note: This story is coming along slowly. Also, I'll be back at college next Saturday, so if posting takes a little longer than usual, I'm sorry. So, read, review, and enjoy!

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Raven thought she might be in a nightmare. Somehow, she ended up in the woods, which never ended well for her since she wasn't thrilled about the outdoors, and it was so dark that at spots were the moonlight couldn't reach she couldn't see her own hand if it was right in front of her. She wasn't missing her communicator, oddly enough, but all she could pick up was static, no matter what channel she switched to. Now, she had been stumbling around, trying to find someplace with a decent location to wait until it got lighter out, without success.

She imagined her friends in the same position. The only one that could fair decently in the darkness would be Beast Boy, but she wasn't sure how big a place like this was. Worse still, she couldn't sense any of her teammates. That meant two things; either they were too far out of her reach or they were dead. She highly doubted the latter. None of the villains they'd encountered wanted them dead before they got to have their fun. She kept moving forward, unwilling to be a sitting duck for whatever chaos that was sure to be following her.

The woods didn't look like anything normal. Half of the trees were burned, the rest had been marred by markings that sent a chill down her back. Some were initials, and others looked like claw marks. They looked too small to be an animals, and the thought of them being human marks made her move faster past them. What kind of place was she in? Eventually she reached the end of the forest line and saw, to her surprise, a small town. None of the houses had lights on and no one was outside. Was the whole place completely abandoned?

Well, she couldn't stand out here in the open. Her powers weren't working, so the kidnapper must have done something about that, and fighting hand to hand wasn't her favorite. So, after double checking to make sure that the coast was clear, she walked out from the trees and onto the street. There was no sound save for her own footsteps. Was it possible for a place to be this quiet? She couldn't even hear the wind. She found a small house that looked decent enough. It was only one level, so there was less chance of an ambush inside.

The door was unlocked, and Raven quietly slipped inside. The place looked clean, and she got the sense that no one had been living her for a while. There was a fire place, a small bed, and a kitchen area. She stopped the bathroom at the other end of the room. After investigating to make sure that she was alone, she walked back to the door to lock it. Finding no lock, Raven decided she might as well just barricade the door. A heavy table served as a buffed and Raven went over to the table to assess her situation.

She was in the middle of nowhere, with no friends, no powers, and no clue who was behind this. There might be other people trapped her with her, but searching for answers would have to wait until it got lighter out. It was stupid to try and explore when anything could be hiding in the shadows. At a loss, she started to scavenge the house, not finding anything of use besides a lantern. There was no oil, so for the moment, the thing was useless. She was searching through one of the drawers when she encountered a false bottomed one.

Frowning, Raven removed a diary from the drawer. It was old, and half of the binding was gone. Carefully, Raven opened it, the spine cracking from being closed for so long. Inside, the pages were blank. Raven flipped through each of the pages, looking for an entry, anything, but there was nothing. She went back to the beginning of the book and saw a name. Jeanette Walker. The name wasn't familiar, and she wondered if Jeanette had scratched her mark into one of the trees. Perhaps when it was lighter out she would go and see she had done it.

It didn't matter, she didn't get a chance to wonder about the name for very long. She felt dizzy all of a sudden and then the book began to glow. All at once, Raven felt herself falling forward, as if she was fainting, and then she saw the scenery change. The once dark room began a field. Then suddenly she was there, and she was running, all happy and excited. She had a basket with her. Raven couldn't do anything but run as she was forced to race across the field. She couldn't have been any older than thirteen or fourteen.

 _"_ _I'm back, sir! I even brought some food for you to enjoy. It's not much, since the harvest will be next month, but it should hold you over until I can get you something better."_ What year was it? What kid talked about harvests? It must have been a long time ago. She was wearing a handmade dress, so maybe the colonial times? God, what was she witnessing? What was she saying? Raven approach a figure huddled up under a tree. She wanted to get closer, try and see what the person looked like, but she couldn't control anything.

She must have fallen into a memory or something. But then, was she witnessing one of Jeanette's memories? And if so, what significance could this one have? The figure, which she couldn't tell if it was male or female, had its face covered and was curled up so she couldn't see the rest of the body. The basket was dropped beside the person and then she sat down next to him. Raven didn't feel in control, and she didn't know how to get out of this. Maybe the memory would just have to run its course. Raven would have to wait.

 _"_ _You're too kind, child. Please, stay with me a while. I wish to ask you for a favor."_ The voice had no emotion, no tone, and Raven instantly wanted to get away. Something was wrong with this person. _"I've been told that the town is going to be emptying in a few days. Why is that? Are you going with your father? Have you given no thought to my offer?"_ Oh god, this guy had offered her something. Was Jeanette planning on running away with this person? Had she? And why would she run off with a creepy stranger?

 _"_ _I have… but I don't want to leave my father. He says that I need to listen, like a good girl, and go to the other city with him. I keep telling him that I want to stay, I'm smart enough and I can manage the fields on my own, but he doesn't listen. He just doesn't listen to me anymore."_ So, there was some sort of argument going on between the father and daughter, and this creep was exploiting it. Maybe the guy was hoping to drive a wedge and force the girl to run away in the future.

 _"_ _I can teach you more than you could learn here. I could show you more than any traveling you might do. The man would hold you back, keep you inside, until it was time to marry you off. He doesn't want you to experience the world like you should. Leave him to the city, come away with me, to new adventures, and I won't ever tell you to obey me like he does."_ Raven had to hand it to the creep, he had a way with words. She could feel Jeanette agreeing with them, and it scared her a lot.

 _"_ _But what will you be teaching me? You never say, or where we will go, or how we will get there. If you've no mule or cart, I can get one. If you've no money, I have some saved that my father wouldn't miss. I can help."_ The girl was going to run with the creep, but there had obviously been no seriously planning. Raven wanted to shout for the Jeanette to run, but all she could do was watch as this all played out. This memory was important, and Raven was still lost on why, so she kept watching.

 _"_ _I will tell you what you will be learning when it is time. Trust the teacher, child. Children don't ask adults questions. Now, we don't need money or transport. We will reach our destination without assistance of those things. Now, sit with me a while, no one comes this way and I've grown lonely."_ Of course they wouldn't need anything, because this creep was probably planning on killing Jeanette in the woods at the first chance. Jeanette pulled things out of the basket, and the creep didn't talk, but Jeanette did, talking about the events going on back in town.

 _"_ _Father says that the farmers are leaving because they can get better deals closer to the city. He'll go, but I know he won't stay long. He doesn't like the city. I've told him that I don't want to go, but he doesn't listen."_ Jeanette finished handing out food, and then they both tucked into it. Raven could almost taste the apple, and it made her own stomach snarl. _"Should I tell him that I might go with you? He would worry, and I'm all he has left since Mama died. I wouldn't tell him everything, just that I'm safe."_

 _"_ _You'll do no such thing. Where we are going is secret, and what I will teach is even more so. A father wants what is best for his child, and yours will be no different. Tell him nothing, say nothing, and I will know if you say a word to him. Your father will not be alone forever. He will find another wife in the city, perhaps have more children. You will not be all he shall have. Now, let us focus on more important things, like when we shall leave this place. I grow tired of it every day."_

 _"_ _My father won't replace me. I'm his daughter, he loves me! And even if he did get married again, and had more children, I'm still special to him. And this place isn't boring, it's my home, and I will not let you say things like this!"_ Raven could feel Jeanette's anger, and knew that it was justified, but the girl was still not running away. The creep smirked, and Raven felt a chill go down her back. This wasn't right, something was seriously wrong, and all she wanted was to get out of here. But she couldn't leave just yet.

 _"_ _He will replace you. Everyone is replaceable. Now, I thought I told you not to talk anymore about this. You're already not listening to instructions. Future teaching lessons might be made harder for you if you can't listen. Your home is simply an area. Nothing special. It holds nothing of value, such as power or magic, so it is boring. I wouldn't want to waste my life in such a place. I'm offering you a chance to come see where magic flows, and you'd rather waste your time in this boring land. You disappoint me, child, I thought you agreed."_

Raven wondered if he knew just how well his words were working to get under Jeanette's skin. How easily they festered and released doubt like perfume. The creep must have known, for he didn't bring it up again, choosing to focus on eating an apple and staring at Jeanette for long moments. _"There is magic where we are going? Isn't magic a bad thing? Father always said to avoid it, that it only brings misery, and that if he found out I had used it, he'd skin me. Please, sir, I don't want to anger my father in that way."_

Good, Raven thought, you've finally figured out that you shouldn't be talking to this creep. Go, run, and go see your father. It'll be safer for you. But Jeanette didn't run. She fidgeted and fixed her dress that she was wearing. Raven felt hopeless, and there was no way to fix a memory. She just hoped it ended well. _"Magic is only wrong if the wrong person uses it. I don't control the magic, and the magic doesn't control me. We work together, fixing the world, asking no more than the other can provide. I can teach you as well."_

 _"_ _I want to learn. At least let me say goodbye to my father before we go. I want to work with the magic. I don't want to go to the city. I promise I'll listen, please, just let me say goodbye before we go. Is that ok? Can I do that?"_ Jeanette's fear was fading, replaced by the desire and curiosity of the magic. No, magic wasn't something to be meddled in. Raven didn't even understand it, and that was half of who she was. No, magic was best left alone. It wasn't meant for people to take part in.

And just like that the memory ended. Raven came around to find herself on the floor. The book was lying away from her and Raven didn't want to touch it right now in case she was thrown into another memory. So, this girl Jeanette had been lured away by a stranger who spoke of magic. Had she really gone? Or had she told her father and gone to the city like she was supposed to? Raven didn't want to find out just yet. Leaving the book for the moment, she searched the rest of the place, not finding very much.

She had no way to know how much time had passed. The clock on her communicator was broken, as it hadn't moved for a long time, and there wasn't one in the room. Raven wished she could talk to someone. She sat down on the rickety bed, tired all of a sudden, and she could feel the early beginnings of a headache forming. At least it was getting lighter out now. She rechecked the bag, and at the last minute, gingerly picked up the book and put it in with the rest of the things. Hopefully nothing would happen again.

Outside, it was cold. Cold enough for her to see her breath. Cursing, she adjusted the bag and then wrapped her cloak around her. It didn't do much, because the flap kept letting in the wind, but she could deal with it. After all, she been in worse spots before. She kept hoping to see someone, but the whole town looked empty. Some shops were boarded up, and several even looked like they had been broken into. It was odd. She found one house that was unlocked and slipped inside. It must have been some sort of news press center.

The place was a mess. Ink had stained every surface, there were papers everywhere, and Raven wasn't sure where to start. She picked a random table and began to sift through the piles. The words on the paper didn't make any sense. It was just a jumble of words, like flower, car, and horse. The giant printing press in the center of the room was destroyed. Whatever had done this must have been strong. Was she dealing with a mutant on top of all of this? Well, she'd been in stranger situations before, this one wouldn't surprise her that much.

Sensing that she wasn't going to find anything useful here, Raven left. It was still cold outside, and Raven searched for another house to go into. Maybe one would have a fireplace or something. She got lucky; the next house she tried was open. There was a hearth, and she found some piece of wood to throw in. After a few minutes it was roaring. Raven felt warmer, but she knew that she couldn't stay here forever. After an hour or so, she put out the flames and left the house. However, she quickly went back in when she saw it.

There was a figure walking around the corner. Raven quickly ducked behind one of the collapsed tables. Would the thing come inside? Was it even a person? She had seen the pair of legs, and it had an arm, but she hadn't seen the face. The shuffling of feet was growing louder and louder. Raven was keenly aware that the door had no lock on it. She spotted another door off to the side, but she had no clue if it was just a storage closet or if it led outside. She could smash a window if she wanted.

To her horror, the door knob started to jiggle. Raven hunker down behind the piece of toppled furniture, and bit back a swear as the door opened. The thing shuffled in, not making any noises save for the huffing it was doing. It came around the side, still not seeing her, before turning around and leaving. Raven didn't move, and slowly peeked up over the wood. The thing had left, but the door was still wide open. Had it just gone onto another building? Was it meant to do patrols? Gathering her nerve, she crept out and moved towards the door.

The thing was long gone. Not one to be taken by surprise, Raven went back inside and grabbed a piece of wood that could serve as a weapon. With her powers out of commission for the time being, and not knowing when they would return, she wasn't about to go out there without some way to defend herself. She stuck to the sides of buildings, carefully looking down the alleyways and around corners, before coming to the conclusion that the monster must have gone elsewhere. The question Raven wanted answered was if it was still here in the town.

"I swear to god if I have to fight a monster, heads are gonna roll." Raven hissed as she stalked down the paths. The piece of wood in her hand felt stupid, but it was all she had at the moment. She had a feeling she was lacking creativity, Robin and Beast Boy were the ones would could make a weapon out of anything, and this was looking more and more like a bad idea. Well, this was her life right now, and Raven just had to roll with it. God, how did she always end up in these situations?

She didn't run into anything on her walk. However, she did find another part of the town that seemed untouched by anyone. There was carefully planted flowerbeds. The windows weren't smashed. Raven was so confused as to where she was. Was this an illusion or something? It had to be; they had been in some sort of holding area before. That was all she could think about. Everything seemed real to her. Nothing was a holograph or some sort of staging. Was the monster thing a computer bot? They made those types of things, right? Cyborg would know right away.

At a loss for what she was supposed to do, Raven picked one of the houses and sneak in. This time, she dragged one of the heavier tables over to the door and closed all the window shutters on the ground floor. She sat down, sorted through the bag, and pulled out the journal again. There still wasn't any words on it and Raven didn't get sucked into for a second time. So, was this the object of being here? To gather items and see the memories they held. It seemed like a daunting task, even for a single person.

Feeling exhausted, all Raven could think of was resting for a bit. She explored upstairs carefully, closing all the shutters on the windows, and noted that there were only two rooms. One was a tiny study; the other was a decent bedroom that seemed to have once been well used. Raven started to explore the study, thinking she might find something useful in there. She found a lantern, which would come in handy, and that was it. Disappointed, Raven went to the bedroom and carefully boarded up the door. She dropped onto the bed, not even caring that was old.

Should she be resting? Raven felt a guilty feeling starting to pool in her stomach and she hated it. This whole situation was making her feel awful; her friends were missing, and without any idea of who was behind this, Raven didn't know where to begin fixing this. Was the rest of her family safe? At the very least they'd still be in those containers. However, she knew that it wasn't much of a blessing; Robin didn't like closed spaces at all. Once again, she picked up the journal. Was it her magic that had set it off the first time?

She tried to summon her magic, but nothing happened. Whatever was keeping her here also had a block on her magic. The more she thought about it, the more realistic it seemed. They'd only come into contact with a few magical items since becoming Titans, but Raven knew that this was an important one. Why hold the memories of someone if you didn't have a reason? So, if they were Jeanette's memories, was the creep the one holding them? She couldn't see the face, and there hadn't been a name, but the person obviously knew magic prior to this.

So, was she dealing with magic? There hadn't been any other signs of magic, besides the book, and Raven was pretty in tune with the pull of magic. Raven fell back onto the bed, still holding onto the journal, and stared at the ceiling. Half of the paneling showed signs of water damage; the other half looked oddly spotless. Well, she wasn't going to figure anything out by sitting on her ass, holed up in here. She gathered all of her stuff again and went downstairs. Thankfully, there wasn't anything outside waiting for her. Good, because her nerves were back.

Raven knew she didn't have any other choice. Her friends were most likely in danger, probably had no clue they were dealing with magic, and she needed to protect them. Ok, maybe not protect them so much, since all of her friends know how to defend themselves, but, still. She wanted to know that they were alright more than anything. And if she had to battle against this unknown form of magic, so be it. She had been in worse scrapes before. All of the secrets in this place would be hers by the time she was through here. Definitely.


End file.
